


Flu isn't fun

by frostfalcon



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 14:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8894029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostfalcon/pseuds/frostfalcon
Summary: Neal comes down with the flu and Peter isn't paying attention.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the 2016 White Collar H/C Advent.
> 
> I was going to add to one of my other stories but I wasn't inspired. So I picked a prompt. Then I didn’t really stay true the prompt. I’m sorry, I had a different idea for the story, I also was going to post on time but between finals, driving home, the dog dislocating his hip, and family stuff I cut out a few things I wanted to add. I’m sorry for being late… a day late and a dollar short, just the way my life is right now. Sorry...
> 
> I may edit it or eventually do a rewrite to include where I wanted to go with this.

Frostfalcon  
White Collar H/C advent 2016  
Started 11/21/2016 (with a lot of time taken up by classes and finals)  
Finished 12/18/2016

Prompt - Neal is sick (something minor) and feeling vulnerable because of it. Peter or Elizabeth say something unintentionally insensitive and hurt his feelings. He decides to skip the White Collar Unit's holiday party because he feels unwanted...

Neal woke up feeling like crap, there was no delicate way to describe the way he was feeling currently, crap summed it up perfectly. He had a bit of a tickle in his throat when he went to bed and overnight it had developed into something much worse. His throat felt like it was lined with shattered glass. His head and gastrointestinal tract also seemed to be competing for his attention. All he really wanted to do was to curl up and go back to sleep and that wasn’t an option. He gingerly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He hoped that a little Dayquil and a hot shower would get him through the day. 

They were in the middle of a case that Peter was taking far too personally. He’d been on everyone’s case all week about needing to get this wrapped up ASAP, and to top it off it was just a few more days until Christmas. El had put together the holiday party this year. It was scheduled for tonight and had a significant amount of input from Neal when it came to the menu. Neal was looking forward to it. The Greatest Cake was providing the desserts and he had been so proud of what they had come up with to serve. He couldn’t wait to see how much everyone enjoyed the food that they had selected and carefully created. 

He felt a little better after his shower. The steam seemed to help his sinuses and the hot water eased some of the muscle aches he felt. He got dressed, made a cup of tea with a little lemon and honey, and went down to meet Peter. Peter was picking him up so they could review the case on the drive. The tea and Dayquil were helping but Neal still just wasn’t feeling up to his normal self. His thoughts were slower and it was like the everything took so much more effort than usual. 

“Great, I probably have the flu. Just in time to ruin the party and the rest of the holidays.” He muttered to himself. 

 

Peter was already trying to work out all the angles on the case while driving. His thoughts were going a mile a minute and all he wanted to do was put this case behind him for the holidays. He saw that Neal was waiting for him on the sidewalk, that made him smile. He took it as a sign that Neal was eager to go.

Neal was moving a little slower than usual so he decided to wait outside and this way Peter wouldn’t have to find a parking spot and they could get into the office faster. The office was a good place, it’s where there was hot tea and his stash of the Burt’s Bees Honey throat drops that he forgot to bring with him the night before.

 

They got to the office and after brain storming and going over everything with a fine tooth comb they still hadn’t come up with anything. Peter was getting frustrated, he noticed Neal clear his throat and then get up and head toward the break room. Peter thought Neal had been acting a bit distracted, like his head wasn’t in the game. The holiday party was tonight and he knew that El and help from Neal planning for the food. Peter was sure Neal was thinking more about canapés and wine pairings when he should be trying to figure out just who was finding a way to steal jewelry from the people that had donated to a specific charity. 

They knew it had to be someone that had access to the donor list and that had knowledge of their homes. They just couldn’t figure out who and everyone that did any work for the charity has a spotless record, no criminal history at all. There were a few traffic citations but nothing to make them think one of these people could be their culprit. Peter was getting increasingly frustrated by this case, an old friend from his college days had been one of the victims that lost a significant amount of jewelry, including a ring from his deceased grandmother. This was personal, he hadn’t told the rest of the team, he really thought this would be a quick one since they knew the charity had to be involved in some way, but they couldn’t catch a break and now Neal was goofing off and thinking about the party and not the case. 

 

Neal was aware that he was moving slowly and didn’t seem to be able to concentrate on the case. The Dayquil wasn’t doing as good a job as he had hoped. He was feeling a bit light headed and dizzy, the tea only helped keep his throat a little, it was keeping him hydrated though. He got up to get for more when Peter seemed to hit his maximum frustration point. 

“If you don’t have anything worthwhile to contribute, go. I don’t have time for your antics Neal. I have a case to solve.” Peter said with his anger coming through loud and clear.

“Peter I just…” Neal started to say something when he was cut off.

“Just go, work on the party, or go shopping just get out of my sight if you aren’t going to focus on the case, you know this work is why you aren’t still in prison. If you aren’t going to be any help than maybe it’s time to reconsider. Just get out of here for now. We’ll discuss this later.” Peter didn’t even look up when he dismissed Neal. He didn’t really look and see how he was red around the nose, or the glassy look in his eyes, and there were a few other tall-tale signs that it wasn’t just Neal goofing off that was keeping him from focusing on the case.

Neal decided it was best not to get into it with Peter. He gathered his things and headed towards his bed. He hoped that Peter would calm down. He was looking forward to the party but a few hours in bed might not be enough to get him through it. The staff at “The Greatest Cake” were professionals and could handle things without him there. It wasn’t like he was a super “hands on” owner anyway, his FBI work took up most of his time. 

It had started to rain during the morning and the temperature was just balanced at the point where is couldn’t decide between rain, sleet, or snow. In general, it was just a mess. There wasn’t a cab in sight and he really had no desire to deal with being ill and crammed into mass transit at the moment. Walking to the coffee shop and getting a cup of something warm sounded like a plan. Then he’d see about locating a cab, maybe once lunch time had passed there would be more available. 

Waiting would delay him getting back to bed but it beat standing in the wintery mix falling from a gray sky. He got in line at the counter, and when it was his turn to order he splurged on a hot chocolate with caramel and whipped cream. The warmth and sugar would do him good. The cup felt so nice in his hands as he took it over to a table away from the door. He sipped it slowly and let it warm him. No matter how he felt he couldn’t stop the thoughts about the case from running through the back of his mind. He really did try to help, then way he felt it was like his thoughts were trying to run through the honey he had kept pouring into his tea. He took another sip of his cocoa and soon the cup was empty. 

Time to move on, hopefully there was a cab to be had now. He put the cup in the trash and stepped out into the cold. The wintry mix had less rain and more sleet now, the temperature was going down and the sky was darker. He stepped closer to the street and tried to flag down a cab. There weren’t any that stopped for him and as his luck today would have it a Mercedes that was trying to make the green light flew through a puddle and got several people, including Neal thoroughly soaked in the icy water.

Neal decide to start walking towards June’s and would keep trying to get a cab along the way. He really should have thought to take more Dayquil or something, he could feel the fever and joint aches steadily creeping up on him. It wasn’t a great feeling and he really hoped he’d snag a cab sooner rather than later. 

 

Peter had given up, there was no way he was going to get this solved before the party and he could insist the team miss the party to keep at it. He was pissed at Neal, they real could have used him on the ball and focused. His insights would have been useful if only he wasn’t so distracted by the party.

They all headed home to change and get ready for the party. He gave El a call to see how it was coming together.

“Hey hun, how are things working out?” He asked as he drove home. He loved the hands free set up the car had, it made life so much easier.

“Peter, are you on the way? Things are coming together; Neal’s staff has been pitching in to help since they didn’t take too long to set up the dessert table.” El said as she tried to mentally workout what still had to be done. 

“Neal’s staff, not Neal too? I sent him out of here hours ago, since he couldn’t focus on the case.” 

“I haven’t seen him all day. It’s been a little crazy trying to get things done. It’s a good thing that we had a little extra help or we’d be behind. Look, I’ll be home to change in a little bit. I really need to get my part of this done. I’ll see you in a bit OK?” She said trying to end the conversation.

“Sure, I’m almost home now. I’ll feed and walk Satchmo and then get ready. This way it’s done and we can just get on our way after you get changed. See you soon, love you.” Peter said and they hung up.

Peter parked the car and tried to call Neal to see why he hadn’t gone over to help set up, if he was so focused on the party shouldn’t he have been helping? It rang through to voice mail and Peter left a message. Maybe Neal was in the shower or something. 

Peter fed and walked Satchmo then gave him a treat after drying the sleet from his fur. He decided he had time to shower before he had to get dressed. The shower felt good and helped him feel warmed up again. The weather was pretty nasty, he decided to arrange for a car service to take them to and from the party. This way he didn’t have to worry about driving in this and he could indulge a little too. 

When El got home she quick jumped in the shower and got dressed. They were both looking great when the driver pulled up to take them to the party. 

 

On the way over Peter tried to call Neal again and just got his voice mail. He decided to pull up the tracking data to see where Neal had gone that was more important than the case or the party. It showed that Neal was close to the office but he wasn’t moving. Peter thought that maybe he was doing a little shopping and ignoring Peter’s calls. It was a petty thing to do but it happened. He’d try to call again a little while after they got to the party unless Neal showed up.

Peter was having a good time despite having the case still unresolved. He had to admit taking a break for it was probably a good idea. Neal still hadn’t shown up or returned his call, Peter pulled up the tracking data and was surprised to see Neal still at the same place, maybe he wasn’t shopping? He looked up what was on the corner and there was a coffee shop, a few retail stores, and the entrance to the subway. Other than the coffee shop he couldn’t think of any other reason for Neal to be there. Was Neal pouting about being dismissed? Maybe he should go see what was up, it wasn’t far as they had a place near the office for the party. 

“El, I’m going to see what’s taking Neal.” Peter said as he headed toward the door. 

“Hay Peter, isn’t Neal coming?” Agent DelVecchio asked. “I saw him earlier and he looked about ready to pass out. The flu that’s going through the office finally made it way up to your floor I guess.” 

“Neal wasn’t feeling well?” Peter questioned Agent DelVecchio.

“Yeah, didn’t you notice? He’s been sniffling and moving slowly for a couple of days. He’s usually a ball of energy this time of year.” DelVecchio said as he snagged a glass from a passing waiter.

“I’ll be back, I am going to head out to check on him.” Peter said as he headed to the coat check.

 

Peter found Neal eventually, he was sitting on a bench at the subway station. He was just staring at the trains passing, glassy eyed. 

“Neal?” Peter called gently as he sat beside him. “I’m amazed you haven’t been mugged or picked up by now.” 

Neal didn’t respond, he looked like he was trying to stay awake and Peter could see that he was sick. He hadn’t been paying attention earlier. He had been so wrapped up in the case that he missed this. He thought Neal was goofing off, how could he have been so blind? He could hear Neal breathing and tell he was congested. Maybe that’s why he was being left alone, no one wanted to get close and pick up what he had. Peter reached out to lay a hand on Neal’s forehead, it was very warm. This got Neal to react. He tried to back away but the bench was against the wall so there was nowhere for him to go.

“Neal, let’s get you home. Is that all right?” Peter asked while standing up to help Neal up.

“I tried to go home, the cabs weren’t stopping, I’m wet.” Neal muttered.

“Buddy I don’t think it’s the wet that was the problem. Why didn’t you get on the train? It would have gotten you back to June’s.” Peter said leading Neal back to the surface. A cab would be easier to get now and much faster getting them to Neal’s apartment. Peter didn’t think walking from the station to June’s was going to happen even if they took the subway.

Peter was able to hail a cab in the matter of a few moments. It was a pretty uneventful trip to June’s and  
Then it took a little work getting Neal up the stairs, and into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom Peter helped Neal strip out of his still wet clothes. He wasn’t soaked anymore, but they were wet and not really helping him keep warm. 

Once Neal was pretty much naked, just standing there in his boxers Peter started the shower and got Neal under the warm water. Neal warmed up and the warmer he felt the better he felt. 

“Neal, can you stay standing while I get you some dry clothes?” Peter asked, Neal nodded and Peter let go of Neal’s arm. Neal was able to balance himself but Peter was still quick to get some dry flannel pants and a warm, cozy shirt for Neal.

He got Neal out of the shower and handed him a few towels. “You dry yourself off and get dressed. I’ll take care of the wet clothes and we’ll get you tucked into bed.”

Peter gathered up the wet clothes and draped them over the shower bar. Neal slowly dried himself, eventually taking off his boxers and getting dressed. They made their way to the bed and Peter got Neal settled in. 

Once Neal was tucked in he went to the kitchen and started the kettle. Some tea and cold medicine would complete the care taking portion of the evening. He had to give El a call and let her know what was going on. She could take the car service home and take care of Satchmo while he made sure that Neal was taken care of. He really felt bad about not noticing that Neal was sick, and Neal hadn’t said anything about feeling unwell. 

He brought Neal a hot cup of tea, making sure that he added a generous dollop of honey. He put a shot of the night time cold medicine he found in Neal’s hand.

“Bottoms up! It’ll help you feel better.” Peter said helping Neal steady the cup. After he took the medicine and drank the tea he drifted off to sleep.

Peter took that time to call Elizabeth. She understood and insisted that she come over after taking care of Satchmo. She was going to bring the car over so they could drive home later.

 

El showed up a little later that night with a change of clothes for them both, their bathroom stuff, and a really large container of soup.

She checked on Neal and then they both snuggled up on the couch to watch Netflix and keep an eye on Neal. Sometime during the night, they fell asleep.

A rough cough woke El early in the morning. She got up and saw Neal getting up and heading toward the bathroom. She gathered the empty tea cup while he was in there and took it to the kitchen. Peter was waking up and stretching as she walked by.

“Honey, you see if Neal needs anything. I’m going to put on some coffee for us and tea for him. I’ll also see what we can do for breakfast.” Peter gave he a look of pure appreciation and was thrilled she seemed to take charge. 

Neal didn’t need much but they did get him some tea and toast, more medicine and settled him on the couch with a pile of blankets and pillows.

“Sorry to have made a mess of your plans Peter. I kept trying to keep it together but I just felt so awful. I wanted to get the case solved so we could all enjoy the party and my brain just wanted to shut off.” Neal whispered.

“Don’t worry about it. I was being an ass, I totally missed that you were getting sick. Some investigator I am. I was so focused on the case I missed it, I should have been a better partner to you. I was letting my frustration get away with me and I took it out on you. I am sorry, I never meant to chase you out into the weather. It probably didn’t help you at all.” Peter’s voice held so much regret and emotion, Neal could tell he really was sorry.

“I’m sure it’ll all work out fine boys. Now you get back to snuggling there.” As she nudged Neal back under the blankets, “and you, stop beating yourself up. Things happen and you might think you are Superman but you aren’t.” El gave him a look.

“Thanks, Hun. Sometimes I need a reminder.” Peter agreed.

“Good, now let’s postpone any real heart to heart discussions until everyone is feeling better. Until then I have the remote so it’s Hallmark channel Christmas movies this morning.” She declared.

Peter groaned but dare not incur her wrath and Neal just fell asleep, content that they were here to make sure he was fine.

The End


End file.
